


On the Subject of Touching

by Ray_Writes



Series: Tumblr Prompts [45]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 14:35:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17624249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ray_Writes/pseuds/Ray_Writes
Summary: Donna comes to a mortifying realization about herself.





	On the Subject of Touching

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stcrmpilot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stcrmpilot/gifts).



> This was a prompt from over on tumblr that I posted a couple days ago but finally got around to uploading here. Apologies for the delay, and I hope you enjoy!

She’d never liked people grabbing her. Whether it was boys tugging on her ginger hair or her mother yanking her arm to get her to stop dawdling and “keep up, Miss, we haven’t got all day” — she’d never liked it a bit.

Only no matter how many times she said it, Spaceman never seemed to get the hint.

It was alright whenever he was reaching for her hand as they ran from this or that danger. She didn’t fancy getting separated when their very lives were on the line. But in friendlier times, he tended to get a little too friendly for her comfort.

“Donna, you’ve got to see this!” There was a hand on her arm and another at her back trying to guide her over to a merchant’s storefront display, and Donna dug her heels right in.

“Hands,” she stated in a dulled sort of tone from all the overuse, and Spaceman promptly backed up with both offending appendages raised.

“Right, sorry. But come and have a look!”

It was always like that. She reminded him, he apologized, and then they did it all over again the next time. In all that giant, genius Time Lord brain, she’d have thought he could remember a simple direction! No wonder Martha had thought there was more going on than what was being said if he got this clingy with everyone.

Of course, there were other times she didn’t mind it so much. Whenever they played at being proper some place and he threaded her arm through his, or if he reached out to comfort her after something particularly awful happened. She wasn’t made of stone, after all.

Yet despite Donna believing she had been very vigilant regarding her own autonomy, it took a visit home for her to realize she’d tumbled into an entirely different pitfall.

“Help me with the dishes,” her mum commanded after they’d all finished tea.

“Yeah, alright.” She exchanged a put upon look with the Doctor before following her into the kitchen.

Her mother didn’t wait long into beginning the chore to begin her interrogation. “Just what, may I ask, is going on between you and him?”

Donna rolled her eyes. “I already told you.”

“Yes, you’re his traveling PA.” Her mother handed her a saucer to dry and fixed her with a look. “But that certainly doesn’t explain all the  _ touching  _ going on.”

“What?” Donna had warned Spaceman to be on his best behavior around her mum. She couldn’t remember any of his usual stuff—

Her mother scoffed. “Oh, don’t think I didn’t notice. Hand on his knee while you were laughing it up in there with dad. And wiping his cheek with a napkin when he got jam on himself? You were practically pawing at his arm all through that story about that hike through the Highlands.”

Donna paled. “I was?”

Her mum shook her head. “I know you won’t listen, but best not to act so desperate if you want this little arrangement to work out. Men hate that sort of thing.”

Oh God, she did touch him a lot, didn’t she? She’d never even noticed! She’d been so careful about setting her boundaries — how’d she completely neglected to set  _ his _ ?

To be fair to herself, that was his job, wasn’t it? Oh, but knowing him, it was one of those human things he was totally clueless about.

Donna was an absolute wreck the rest of the visit, though she did her best to hide it. After the dishes were done, she joined her Gramps on the sofa to avoid even being near her best friend, and when the Doctor made mention of the time, Donna restrained herself from grabbing his coat for him or helping him to shrug back into it. Since when had she started doing that anyway?

She sat in the jump seat to stay out of his way as he piloted them away from Chiswick, though her lucky streak ran out as he finished and threw himself down on the spot beside her. Donna leapt up as though the chair had turned hot as a poker.

“Donna?”

“Nothing! Just, ah, forgot something.”

“Oh. Do we need to go back?”

“I meant in my room,” Donna lied.

The Doctor’s nose scrunched up. “Is that really forgetting it, then? Seems to me that’s remembering it.”

“Whatever,” Donna huffed.

“Donna, what’s wrong?”

“When did I say anything was?”

“You didn’t. You’re acting like it, though.” He leaned forward, looking ready to spring up from the seat at any moment. “Is it about your home?”

“No. It’s nothing, really. Just something mum said,” she added on a mutter.

His frown indicated he had heard it. “What was it this time?”

“Oi.”

“I know she’s your mother, Donna, but I don’t like to see you feeling badly about yourself because of some made up infraction she’s seen fit to carry on about—”

“But it’s not made up,” Donna blurted. In the effort to defend her mother, she’d given herself away. Oh, hell. “I mean I- I do it.”

“Do what?”

“Touch you. Not like that!” She immediately declared when the Doctor’s eyes widened. “I just mean on the arm and such. Sometimes. A lot of times. I hadn’t noticed, but she did, so now…”

“Now what?” 

She had lowered her gaze to the floor, and couldn’t quite make out his tone. 

“Donna, why is it a problem that you touch me?”

“Cos it’s not nice to just grab at people, is it? I mean, here I am asking you not to all the time, but do I think about not doing it to you? I must have come off so rude!”

“But I don’t mind!”

She did look up, then, and it was to see that Spaceman looked some strange cross between confounded and amused.

“You don’t?”

“No. You’re my best friend. It’s nice to know that you’re comfortable around me, or that you want to help me feel better, or what have you.” He smiled. “I quite like it, if you must know.”

“Oh.” It wasn’t exactly a squeak, but it came close. “So that’s fine, then.”

“Course.”

“Well, good.” She drew in and let out a breath. “It’s fine for me, too. Within reason. I mean, if that’s what you like—”

“You don’t have to like it, Donna.”

“No, but I do. I mean, with you it’s alright. I suppose.” Her cheeks were hot enough she was worried they might catch fire, even if she was simply telling the truth. “Within reason.”

“Within reason,” he echoed. “I can live with that.”

“Right then.” Donna hovered where she was for a moment or so, then came back to sit on the jump seat. Legs brushing, Spaceman’s arm draped over the back and just barely touching her shoulders. Just more of their usual. “Not a bad way to live.”

The Doctor grinned at her. “Not bad.”


End file.
